Filling fork grid and clearer for looms



1931- J. c. WRIGHT 1,819,939

FILLING FORK GRID AND CLEARER FOR LOOMS Filed Dec. 18, 1928 Fig.1.

lnvenToT,

\James C. WrighT yfudwkm ATTys.

40 and Will be Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES PM F FKCE JAMES WRIGHT, OF CANTON, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOR T'O DRAPER CORPORATION, OF

' HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE FILLING FORK GRID AND CLEARER FOR LOOMS Application filed December 18, 1928. Serial No. 326,800.

This invention relates to a novel form of filling fork grid'for looms and the combina- Y tiontherewith of a clearer for removing fly,

lint, yarn ends, or other obstructions therefrom. j

In the automatic loom it is common to provide upon the lay a grid which cooperates 'with a, filling fork carried by the breast beam. When thepick of filling is properly laid, it extends in front of the grid and is held thereby to prevent movement of the fillingfork through the grid as the lay beats up. If the ick of filling is not thus laid in front of t e grid, the filling fork passes through the grid and as a result mechanism is operated to efiect a change in the operation of the loom such as the stopping of the loomor replenishmentof the filling carrier. Great trouble is experienced in maintaining Q the grid free from fly, lint, yarn ends and 1 other obstructions'collecting thereon which act to prevent the propercooperation of the filling fork and grid."

The object of the present invention is to J provide a novel form of filling fork grid in which the tines at one of their ends, and

- preferably" at their lower ends, are free or unsupported'so that any such material col- *lecting on the grid may readily be cleared 4 from the'tinesover the free ends.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with such a grid having the tines with free ends, clearing mechanism acting at predetermined times thus to 1 clear the obstructing material fromthe grid oil over the free ends of the tines. These and f other objects and features of the invention'will' appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings particularly pointed out in the claims; 3 I 'As the general construction and operation of the automatic loom with a grid and filling fork is well-known and familiar to those skilled in the art, it is only necessary here to;illustrate and describe those parts of a loom' directly concerned with a preferred form of the invention.

Inthe 'drawin'gsz' Fig. 1 is aside elevation partially in vertical cross section looking from the interior of the loom toward one side'frame thereof with a preferredform of the present invention embodied therein.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view partially broken away and partially in horizontal cross sec-. tion of a preferred form 'of cooperating grid and clearer.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the grid embodying the'invention.

One of the side frames 1 of an automatic loom is shown, together with the transversely extending breast beam 2, transversely extending girders 3 such as commonly employed for supporting a warp stop motion, transversely extending cam shaft 4 and the usual lay 5 carried by the lay swords 6 and swinging forward and rearward about the usual lay rock shaft, not shown, at the bot: tom of theloom. A usual type of filling fork 7 with its slide 8 mounted on the breast beam is shown. This filling fork swings freely on the pivot 9. A cam 10 on the cam shaft 4 acting against a cam follower 11 on the end of 'a weft hammer 12 fulcrumed at 18 acts to rock the weft hammer at every other pick, or when the'shuttle is boxed at the side of the loom at which the filling fork is located. When, therefore, the. lay beats up with a pick of filling properly laid by the shuttle boxed at this side of the loom, the filling will swing the fork 7 on its pivot 9, releasing its forward end from the hook 14 pivoted to the weft hammer,

and no change takes place. But if the fill- .1ng is absent from in front of thefilling verticallyin front of the path of the filling fork and is rigidly secured to the lay adjacent the inner end of the usual shuttle portion downwardly; The important'feature of construction resides in the fact that the ends of the tines opposite the top bar 16, and in the preferred case the lower ends of the tines, are free or unsupported and are preferably point-ed at 19 and preferably deflected or bent back to extend rearward.

A suitable supporting lug 20 forms a part of the grid and is shown as an extension of theouter tine 17. This lug is provided with a slot 21 by means of which the grid may be bolted in position on the lay.

It will thus be seen that any fly, lint, yarn ends or other obstruction collecting on the grid in the operation of the lay and which would interfere with the proper cooperation of the grid with the filling fork may readily be slid or cleared off from the grid over the free or unsupported ends of the tines. Broadly COIISlClBlQtl, this clearing action may be performed by any suitable means such as a pneumatic device or air hose which could be directed against the grid to remove the obstructing material down along and off the free ends of the tinesysuch as a brush or other simple mechanical element in the hand of the operative; or a me chanical means provided for the purpose.-

A further feature of the invention resides in a combmatlon wlth the novel grid of this invention of a mechanical clearer thus acting to clear the obstructing material off over the free ends of the tines.

In the preferred form of construction illustrated, a metal standard 22, made in two parts longitudinally adjustable by means of.

the slot 23 and bolt 24: construction, is clamped to the weft hammer 12 adjacent the follower-11 so that the standard is positioned substantially vertical directly in the rear of thelay when in itsrear. position. Near its upper end this standard is loosely guided in a bracket 25 secured bybolts 26 to some rigid portion of the loom such as one of the girders 8. The standard 22 is bent forward at its upper end and has secured theretoby a bolt 27 a horizontally extending base 28 of a brush having long flexible bristles 29. The parts are so positioned that when the lay is in its rear position, as shown in Fig. 1, the bristles will penetrate between the tines of the grid 15 and the cam 10 will insure that in every series of two picks at least the brush will engage the entire surface of the grid. lVith the parts as shown in Fig. 1, that is, with the la in its rear position, it will be seen that as t e lay swings forward to beat up, the grid moves on a circular are so that there is a slight relative vertical movement between the grid and the brush, the brush. moving downward relatively to the grid and that there is also a separating movement as the grid moves away from the brush, and that these relative movements areaccentuated by the movement imparted to the -weft hammer and consequently to the brush by the cam 1.0, The result is that thebrush penetrating the grid engagesany fly, lint, yarn ends, or other obstrue'tioncollecting on the grid and draws this material down the tines and offv over the free or unsupported rearwardly extending pointed ends. This cooperative; action between the clearer brush and the grid involving the novel construction of tines --hav--; ing the free or unsupported endsv insures that the grid is constantly kept clear and free of all obstructing material: so that per fect cooperative action is maintained between the filling fork and'the grid. I 90 The construction may readily be embodied in existing looms merelyby substituting the new form of grid for the forms heretofore employed and by mounti the clearer brush and its supporting stan and and bracket;, 9

upon the proper parts of the loom; Y

Having thus described the inventiomwhat is claimed as new, and. desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. A filling fork grid for looms compnis-f .1 ing a top bar and. a plurality of parallel spacedtines rigid with. and. dependin from the top bar with their lower ends to permit any fly, lint, yarn ends or other obstruction collecting on the tines tobe clearedfrom the tines over their free ends and means for supporting" the. grid with the top bar and tines in fixed osition on rthe loom.

2. A filling fork gri for looms comprising a top bar and. a plurality of parallel. T spaced tines depending from the to bar with their lower ends free and de ected rearward to permit any fly, lint,'yarn ends or other obstruction collecting on the-tines to lie cleared from the tines-over their free"' enc s. V A V e 3. A filling fork grid. for looms comprising a top bar and a plurality of parallel spaced tines dependin from the. top bar with their lower ends. ree andpointed and extended rearward to permit any fly, lint, yarn ends or otherobstruetioncollecting on the'tines to be cleared from the over their free ends. v

I 4. A filling fork grid for looms a7125 transverse bar and a plurality of parallel spaced. tines rigid with and extending from the bar with their ends opposite the bar free to permit any fly, lint, yarn ends or other obstruction collecting on the tines to be cleared from the tines over the free ends and means for supporting the grid with the transverse bar and tines in fixed position on the loom.

5. The combination in a loom of a filling fork grid comprising a top bar and a pluralit-y of parallel spaced tines depending from the top bar with their lower ends free and deflected rearward, clearing means acting to engage the grid from the rear and means acting to give a downward and rearward movement of the clearing means relatively t0 the grid to remove fly, lint, etc., collecting on the tines down off from the free ends of the tines.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

JAMES C. WRIGHT. 

